Gorillaz’s Humanz album has finally dropped, after seven years without music from the animated band.
The Damon Albarn project did it right. With collaborations from all across the musical spectrum, Humanz boasts offerings from everyone from Vince Staples to De La Soul to Grace Jones to Anthony Hamilton. The album includes the previously heard “Hallelujah Money,” a dark song about consumerism, and “Andromeda,” featuring D.R.A.M.
In fact, Humanz is twisted all around. Albarn has admitted that the LP was constructed as a sort of soundtrack for the end of the world. When teaming up with other artists, he told them to work on a song that focused on a monumentous night — one where everything changed, perhaps not for the best. Albarn’s version of that night came when Donald Trump was elected as the U.S. President. Although his name doesn’t appear on the album, his eerie presence lives in it. Billboard points out that the album oddly arrives on the eve of his 100th day in office.
There’s been months of hype for Gorillaz’s Humanz album. The first track, the mysterious “Hallelujah Money” dropped in January with a creepy video. Gorillaz also announced that they were holding their own Demon Dayz Festival in Margate, England, this June. Then Albarn and company played a comeback show in London and revealed four more songs on streaming platforms. At that show, Albarn said that most of the album’s collaborators would be on the Demon Dayz Festival bill, along with the people who joined him on stage that night. Gorillaz later performed at an album release show in New York, where they played most of Humanz all the way through.
Humanz is out now via Warner and Parlophone Records. You can stream it here.
